No one ever decides to sinply become a victim of foreclosure, but more often become one through a series of events that could likely have been prevented with a little bit of forethought.
One such step you can take is that of writing a Hardship letter to the bank or lending institution that holds your mortgage.
A hardship letter is simply a letter that most lenders will require your to send before they will consider a “work out” plan to stop the foreclosure proceedings. The hardship letter, also called a letter of hardship, is where you will explain to the bank the cause of the financial problems that put you begind on your payments in the first place, and specifically why you have been unable to make your mortgage payments.
One concern with hardship letters is timing. Make sure you write your lender a hardship letter as soon as you have missed or think you are about to miss a payment.
When writing your hardship letter, make sure that you include all relevant information to your particular situation. Perhaps you were injured in some manner or became sick, or in cases such as the death of a family member, perhaps you were swamped with emergency costs you could not afford. Just claiming simple financial problems in general may not be enough to convince your lender to stop the foreclosure proceedings all together, you will need to be as specific about your situation and let them know exactly why you were unable to make payments.
Although it is a grey area, the truth is that in many cases the sadder the story the better. Within reason. Do not lie to your lender, however it is important to be honest and not exaggerate the facts too much.
Lenders are not as inhumane as they are made out to be.They will be much more willing to work with you if they know that your current financial situation is a result of something beyond your control, such as a family death, a terrible accidant, a major house fire or a tornada ripped your house to shreds
Your Letter of Hardship must contain the following information:
Name: (Your Name)
Address: (Primary Address)
Phone Number: (Your Primary Phone Number)
Mortgage Company: (Your Lender) Loan No: (Your Loan Number)
* Make sure that you state that you would like them to review your financial situation and would like to work out a solution.
* Clearly state the reason for your financial difficulties. Be as direct and to the point as you can be. Don’t go overboard with an unrealistic sob story, and DO NOT try to lay the blame on your lender.
* Make sure to specify whether your financial hardship is going to be a temporary situation or if you expect it to be a long term issue.
* Verify your statements and be sure to state that your situation is true to the best of your knowledge.
Borrower’s Signature w/Date
Co-Borrower’s Signature w/Date
Send the letter either by fax or, preferably, by certified mail.
The sooner you write your hardship letter to your lender, the better off you will be. If you’ve been delinquent for more then a few late payments, your lender mightbegin to wonder why you didn’t contact them about your situation earlier. Your hardship letter should be the first step you take to try and work out a viable solution to the problem for both you and the lender.
Make sure that if you think you are going to have trouble with your payments that you get a jump start on the process and let your bank know. It will always go better for you if you are proactive in dealing with your lender nstead of avoiding them.